Winter's Shadow of Change
by Dreamer's Fate
Summary: Based six years after the events in San Lorenzo. Arnold and Helga's anniversary is coming up, but Arnold finds himself having troubling thoughts. He feels a change coming, but he's not sure if he's ready for it.
1. Different

**Hi, everyone! Back with a new story. Please tell me what you think!**

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**Chapter One**

Different

"You know, I thought this place would have closed down by now," Arnold admitted as he took a bite from his hotdog. He was sitting in the booth labeled "Visitors" with Gerald at Mickey Kaline's "Mickey's All-Natural Casings Dog Pound". He took a sip from his soft drink and looked around.

The restaurant was mostly empty; Arnold and Gerald were the only customers. The Dog Pound got a few new accessories over the years to appeal to customers. Mickey bought a big flat-screen TV, added an arcade, and added new items to his menu. The tricks worked for a while at first. He enjoyed a high success he hadn't experienced since his grand opening of the Dog Pound. Things had slowed down for the past year, and Mickey resorted to new, exaggerated advertisements to no avail.

Still, it was Arnold and Gerald's favorite place to go to grab a bite. They were looking up at the big flat screen TV against the wall across from them watching some of Mickey's old games.

"I know. How can Mickey afford to keep it still running?" Gerald asked in his deep voice, not looking away from the TV and still chewing his last bite of his burger.

Arnold shrugged and took another sip of his soda. "It could be because we buy everything on the menu every time we come here."

Gerald laughed, "Oh, yeah!" He finished the last of his soda and fries. He turned to Arnold. "Ready to go?"

Arnold nodded, got up, and threw his trash away. He walked back to his seat, grabbed his black hoodie from the back of his chair, zipped it on over his flannel shirt, and headed out. Gerald followed suit with his white hoodie over his red jersey. The two tall teens waved goodbye to Mickey and walked out of the restaurant.

As they walked out, Arnold took in a deep breath of the crisp, cold air. It was horridly cold that bleak, December day. The day had not been a kind one to Arnold. He had endured a rough day at school with tests and the stress of his personal life, and was more than happy to relax a bit with his best friend. He shivered as a cold breeze hit him, prompting him to hunch his shoulders.

"What's wrong with your car again?" Gerald asked as the two headed down the street dreading the long walk home. He was hugging himself tightly to keep himself warm and grimaced against the cold wind hitting his face.

Arnold sighed. "Grandma took it for a late-night drive and crashed it," he muttered. He could see his breath as he spoke.

"Right, right," Gerald nodded absentmindedly. "How did she sneak past you guys?"

Arnold shook his head and put the hood of his hoodie over his head, tucking in his long, spiky blonde hair. "She's Grandpa's responsibility after eleven," he said.

Gerald rolled his eyes. "Man, I can't wait until I get my own car. I can't stand this. It's freezing!"

Arnold simply nodded in agreement. Both friends walked in silence, fighting the numbing cold. Arnold's thoughts drifted off to his girlfriend of six years; Helga. He furrowed his eyebrows and berated himself for having the thoughts he was having.

After a few minutes, Gerald broke the momentary silence. He started as if he had just remembered something. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked.

Arnold raised an eyebrow and wonder what he had missed. "About?"

"Helga," Gerald replied curtly.

Arnold stopped suddenly. "What about Helga?" he asked cautiously.

Gerald, confused, stopped reluctantly. "Phoebe was talking about your anniversary yesterday. It's on Sunday, isn't it?"

Arnold hesitated for a moment. "Ugh," he groaned and closed his eyes. "I forgot. I-I completely forgot!"

Gerald shook his head at his best friend and started to walk forward. "Man, you've been together for six years. You should know this stuff by now."

"I know, I know!" Arnold threw his arms up in frustration and followed Gerald. He groaned and put one of his hands to his face. "She's going to kill me." He stopped again and grabbed Gerald's arm. "Don't tell Phoebe about this," he pleaded. "I don't want Helga to know."

Gerald pulled his arm away and kept walking. "What's with you? Just take her out somewhere nice to dinner."

"Dinner. Dinner's good," Arnold spoke, mostly to himself, and followed along. "I'll take her to her favorite diner."

Gerald almost stopped in his tracks in disbelief. "A _diner?_ That's the best you can do?"

Arnold raised an eyebrow again. "What's wrong? It's her favorite." He lowered his voice, "I think, anyway."

"Man," Gerald placed his hand on Arnold's shoulder, "you need to take her somewhere special. Get all dressed up and buy her flowers. You're celebrating six years together. That's like, one-hundred years in girl years."

"Huh? Oh, I don't know, Gerald. She isn't really into that kind of stuff," Arnold rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably.

Gerald rolled his eyes. "Arnold, if there's one thing I know a lot about, it's women." Before Arnold could make a sarcastic reply, he continued, "My anniversary with Phoebe is tomorrow, and if I took her to a diner, she'd kill me. Helga's a girl, right? She likes that type of stuff whether she admits it or not. You should at least take her out to a fancy-shmancy place at least once. Just so you'll know for sure if she'll like it."

Arnold kicked a rock on the ground as they walked. "Maybe," he answered absentmindedly. "How many anniversaries do you have with Phoebe anyway? It seems like you're celebrating one every month."

"We celebrate every three months," Gerald corrected. "It helps keep the romance alive, if you know what I mean," he winked.

Arnold rolled his eyes in response. They walked in silence after that. Gerald narrowed his eyes and put his hands in the pockets of his hoodie, fighting the bitter cold. Arnold stuffed his numbing hands in his jean pockets while he looked down as they walked. His thoughts drowned out the cold weather.

_'That was close,'_ he thought. Arnold's reaction to Gerald's question wasn't because he forgot about his anniversary with Helga.

He _was_ thinking about Helga, which wasn't out of the norm. Only now, his thoughts were much different than Gerald could ever suspect. His upcoming anniversary with Helga wasn't one he was looking forward to. It was one he wished he _could_ have forgotten about. He'd probably be better off.

Truth was, Arnold's feelings for Helga were starting to fade. Over time, he had grown tired of her endless insults that he had hoped would have stopped after they started dating. Everything was fine the first couple of years. They shared many sweet moments together. Helga finally had her first enjoyable night of the Cheese Festival with him.

Arnold had a blast playing sports and going to the movies with his new girlfriend. He even tried to be romantic as they got older, but slowly, Helga started to fall into old habits.

She started to bully and tease not only other students, but him, again. He couldn't understand why at first, seeing as their classmates were well aware of their relationship status. She didn't have to prove anything to anyone. He had to admit to himself he still didn't understand why. He thought everything was going well.

He wondered if she was going through a rough patch with her parents. Of course, that wasn't completely an out of the ordinary thing for her. He had wanted to talk to her about everything, but the closer he got, the more she pushed him away.

Arnold was starting to feel a slight resentment towards her. There was always a sense of dread he would feel heading to her house and seeing her at school. He thought about the anxiety he would feel in the pit of his stomach that would grow with every step he would take near her. Getting phone calls from her were starting to annoy him. There were rarely any happy conversations as the days and weeks went by. Even kissing her was something he wasn't looking forward to anymore. Everything was so different now. She was different. He was different.

He felt terrible about it, but he couldn't understand why he was feeling this way towards his girlfriend. She was supposed to be the love of his life. After everything they had gone through; the many misadventures over the years, the FTi, and the biggest of all, the jungle. It had only made sense for them to spend the rest of their lives together. What happened?

He had had these thoughts over the past year. He never acted on them, thinking he would get over it. _'It's just a phase,'_ he would tell himself. He had thought about all of the good times they shared together. He remembered how fun it would be just hanging out with her, and how he couldn't wait to just walk around the city with her again. He had remembered the intense happiness he would feel from simply being around her. At the time, he couldn't imagine spending time with anyone else. He didn't want to spend time with anyone else but her. He fought hard now to feel those same emotions. He felt like he was lying to himself and to Helga.

Arnold shook his head. _'She loves me. I know she does.'_ He kicked a rock on the sidewalk. _'But I don't deserve this. Maybe we were too young for such a big commitment...'_

"Well," Gerald spoke, knocking Arnold out of his contemplation, "I'll see you later." Arnold looked up and realized they had reached Gerald's home. They took their hands out of their pockets and did their handshake. "Good luck with your date, man. And don't forget the flowers," Gerald reminded him and walked up his stoop.

Arnold laughed and sarcastically replied, "Thanks. Later, Gerald."

He continued walking towards the boarding house. He put his hands back in his pockets and noticed his legs were becoming numb from the cold weather. He started to walk faster and resumed his thoughts. _'We were only ten years old after all. How could I know what love was? Maybe I don't love her like I thought I did...'_ He quickly pushed the thought away. He felt horrible even thinking it. _'It shouldn't be this way. What's wrong with me?'_

'But then again,' he continued thinking, _'maybe it's true. Maybe I was pushed into thinking I knew what love was. Maybe it was something we imagined. Maybe Helga doesn't even really know what real love is.'_

He spent the rest of his walk home thinking about the possibilty of their 'true love' being nothing more than mere puppy love. A childhood crush that they made into a big deal and nothing more.

He shook his head and broke out of his reverie. He had arrived at the boarding house and ran up the stoop. He opened the door and paused as dogs, cats, and Abner, much chubbier than he was six years ago, ran past. He walked in and closed the door behind him, gladly embracing the warm air.

"Hey, sweetheart," Arnold heard a voice call from the kitchen.

Arnold smiled and walked towards the familiar voice. He came into the kitchen and saw his mother sitting at the table. She was wearing reading glasses and was reading a romance novel. She looked up and smiled warmly at her son.

"Hi, mom," he immediately went to her and hugged her tight. He never forgot to hug her, or his father, as soon as he saw them and always before he went somewhere. He remembered how he used to treat them almost as if they would disappear at any moment. "How was work?" he asked as he walked to the fridge.

Stella sighed and closed her book. She looked exhausted. She and Miles had had a difficult time getting used to a normal life the first few months they were back home. When they first came back to the United States, they were the most talked about topic for several weeks. Newspapers and magazines left and right all had the heading, _"Two missing people come home ALIVE after 9 years!"_ They both struggled with the media attention. All they wanted was to spend time with their Arnold. Eventually, the media frenzy died down, and they were able to settle back.

They had contemplated going around the country speaking about their experience or writing a book. Without too much debate, they both knew the best would be to settle for somewhat normal lives. They didn't want anymore adventures for they knew taking care of a soon to be hormonal teenager would be more than enough to keep them busy. Miles put to use the many donations they had received from around the country and started a construction business. Stella put to use her medicinal knowledge.

"It was okay," she answered. "Nothing too exciting, but what can you expect from a pharmacist?" she laughed. "How was your day, dear?"

Arnold grabbed a water bottle and closed the fridge. "Fine," he answered simply.

Stella gave him a look that said 'don't be one of _those_ teenagers'.

Arnold rolled his eyes, but smiled and sat at the table with his mother. He sighed as he started, "Sunday's my anniversary with Helga."

Stella nodded knowingly. "Did you forget?" she questioned.

Arnold shook his head, "No, I didn't."

"Then what's wrong?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well," Arnold rubbed his eyes, "I'm not exactly...looking forward to it."

"Ahh, I see," Stella replied. "Did you two have a fight?"

"No. At least not today," he sighed heavily. "Yet," he added grimly.

Stella reached her hand out to Arnold's across the kitchen table. "Do you want to talk about it, dear?"

Arnold looked up at his mother. He debated with himself before deciding to reply with partially the truth. "It's just...she's so different." He looked away, not wanting to give everything away. There was still a lot of thinking he needed to do.

Stella smiled sympathetically, "Arnold, it's just a part of growing up. You've been together for so long since you were so young. You two are going to continue to grow into different people."

"I know. It's just not what I was expecting, I guess," he opened his water bottle and took a sip.

"If you do decide to take a break, and if it's meant to be, you two will cross paths again," she offered encouragingly.

After a pause, Arnold replied, "I don't know. I'll figure it out." He sighed again and got up. "Thanks, mom," he leaned over and kissed her forehead. He then headed to his room.

"Of course. Don't forget to get ready for dinner. Your father's coming home from work soon," she called after him. Stella leaned back in her chair and opened her book again.

Arnold climbed the stairs and unzipped his hoodie. He reached the end of the hallway and reached up to the string hanging on the ceiling to pull down the stairs that led to his bedroom. He climbed the stairs and entered his room, closing the door behind him.

He took his hoodie and flannel shirt off, keeping his green long-sleeved undershirt on, and flopped on his bed. He kicked off his black sneakers and pulled his covers over his head. He buried his face in his pillow and tried to clear his mind. He breathed in and out slowly for a few minutes, hoping to fall asleep.

Without realizing it, thoughts of Helga crept their way back into his mind. After Arnold reunited with his parents, Helga always gave him the time he needed to spend with them. He loved her for that, and it was something he never took for granted. She didn't make him feel like he should feel guilty about wanting to spend more time with them than with her.

He thought about everything he had already thought about. He imagined different scenarios of living life without her. Where would he be without her? He remembered what his mother told him. _'We will cross paths again if it's meant to be...'_ The idea of taking a break appealed to him more and more. He knew he needed something new. Deep down, he could feel change was heading his way.

He could slowly feel himself drifting into sleep and welcomed it. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in a while and would take any chance he could to take a nap.

The phone rang suddenly. Arnold didn't move and let it ring. He squeezed his eyes tightly and snuggled under the covers, wanting to disappear. A few seconds later, he heard, "Shortman! It's for you!"

He groaned, knowing exactly who was calling. _'Right on time,'_ he grudgingly thought. He reached his arm out from under the covers to the cordless phone that was on the floor. He pressed the "Talk" button and waited for the answer he knew so well.

"About time, football-head."


	2. Dinner

Chapter Two

Dinner

"Hi," Arnold answered. He fought to hide the glum tone in his voice.

"Where have you been?" Helga asked harshly.

"I was out with Gerald. I told you I was going to hang with him today," he reminded her. He rolled his eyes as he heard her sigh in response.

"Well, I needed you today. Miriam got her license taken away again and Bob got on her case. Phoebe couldn't talk because she was busy with her parents. I needed someone to talk to," she added sadly.

Arnold grimaced. "I'm sorry, Helga," he said sincerely. "I'm here now. What happened?"

"Ugh," Helga scoffed. "Too much crap. Can I come over?"

Arnold pulled the covers off of himself and sat up. _'Do I really want her to come over?'_ He sighed mentally. He cleared his throat and answered, "Of course."

"Be there in five," she answered curtly and hung up. Arnold pressed the "End" button on his phone, laid back down, and waited.

It had been a normal enough routine. Helga came over frequently to escape her family life. Arnold was expecting it, and he usually didn't mind. Today was a different situation. He wasn't in the mood to hear negativity. He didn't want to see her. He wished he could have ended it weeks ago.

He rolled his eyes at himself and lightly tapped his fist against his head. He looked up at the sky, wishing he could just float away. As the minutes passed, the dread of hearing the knock on his door was starting to become unbearable. At the same time, he felt bad for feeling like this, for he knew Helga really did need him. He knew he was the only person she ever trusted besides Phoebe.

_'I hope she doesn't start yelling,'_ he thought grimly. He sat up in his bed and brought his knees to his chest. He put his cordless phone on its base station to let it charge and simply waited. He stared at his bedroom door waiting for a short knock. After a few minutes of impatience, he decided he would wait downstairs. As he walked to his door, it opened.

He stepped back and watched the blonde-haired blue-eyed girl enter his room. She was wearing her usual pink shirt, black bomber jacket, and jeans with black boots. She wore her shoulder-length hair down and had a glum expression on her face. Arnold didn't fail to notice that she had her locket, with his picture inside, around her neck. She no longer wore her bow on the top of her head, but tied the ribbon around her wrist as a bracelet.

She walked in quickly looking straight ahead. She walked past Arnold without greeting him and didn't close the door behind her.

"What's up?" she asked as she sat on his bed.

"Nothing," he answered. He closed the door and leaned his back against the wall with his arms crossed. "So, what happened today?"

Helga rolled her eyes and laid back. She put her hands behind her head. "Just the same old stuff. Miriam's getting back into her old habits. Bob's getting sick of it. Blahblah," she muttered.

_'Miriam isn't the only one falling into old habits.'_ Arnold nodded.

"I just had to get away from there," she added.

Arnold didn't respond. They stayed silent for a few moments. He felt awkward as he stood watching her after having spent the past few hours seriously contemplating ending their relationship. He thought of what to say next.

"Want to watch TV or something?" he asked uncertainly.

She sat up and looked at him curiously. "Sure," she shrugged.

Arnold nodded again and walked to his TV. His parents had given him one for his thirteenth birthday. It was now sitting on a shelf on top of his stereo. He turned it on and flipped through the channels. He settled on a random sitcom and went to sit on the flip-sofa. After a moment, Helga joined him. They both sat in silence for a while, mindlessly watching the TV. Arnold was once again thinking of breaking things off when Helga unexpectedly kissed his cheek. He turned to look at her soft, sad eyes. She smiled lightly and hugged him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"For what?" he asked.

"For this. This is just what I needed. Just to be with you," she said and hugged him tighter.

Arnold looked down and couldn't help but turn red in guilt. He mentally kicked himself. It was these moments that made him remember why they were together. She needed to be with him and he needed to be with her. _'We've been through so much.'_

They stayed silent for an hour just mindlessly watching TV. They laid back and Arnold put his arm around Helga. He was sure what was going through her mind. She loved her parents, and truly hated to see them like this. Then again, it's all she's ever known. Anything different would be foreign and strange to her. But Arnold could see her eyes turn sad when she saw how happy Stella and Miles are.

He kept his eyes on the TV. He felt her hand rub his back every few minutes. He wondered if she could sense his detachment. He rubbed her shoulder back and she squeezed her hold on him.

"Guys! Dinner's ready!" they heard. Arnold breathed a quiet sigh of relief, glad to be doing something else. He got up and turned off the TV. He went to open the door, but turned around when he noticed Helga hadn't moved.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

Helga pursed her lips. "I don't know. Not really," she replied.

"Well, maybe my mom made something you'll like," he suggested.

Helga nodded and got up. They both made their way down the both flights of stairs and into the dining room. The boarders, Phil and Gertie, and Miles were already seated and waiting for them. They all greeted Helga as she and Arnold sat down.

"How are you today, Helga?" Miles asked politely.

"Well, Bob's been yelling all day. Same old stuff," she answered sullenly.

"Sorry to hear that," Miles murmured. "Things will get better," he consoled.

Helga smiled back. _'Doubt it.'_

Stella walked into the dining room holding a big plate of food before going back to the kitchen to get more plates of side dishes.

"Suzie, why can't you cook like this?" Oskar asked.

Suzie stomped his foot in response and said, "Because I'm always at work supporting a man who can't even do his own laundry!"

"Ow! I work too! I still do the newspapers," Oskar scowled.

Suzie rolled her eyes and shook her head. Arnold set his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand. Helga fought to hide her laugh.

"You call that work? Try working more than two hours everyday, you loser," Ernie criticised. "Every day it's the same thing, 'Oh Suzie, why can't you do this or that?' All you do is sit and complain and eat," he argued.

"Ernie, leave him alone! If he wants to complain, let him! It's his life," Mr. Hyunh added.

Phil turned to his son. "You should really kick them out," he said as the boarders continued to argue.

Miles sighed. "Dad, I'm not running the boarding house right now, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just trying to get you prepared for when you do," he winked and laughed.

"Enough guys! Let's eat," Stella said.

The boarders dug in, forgetting about their argument. Throughout the dinner, Arnold looked over at Helga to see her picking at her food. He felt bad for her and wondered what she was thinking. _'Maybe still her parents.'_

She would glance at Miles and Stella and would smile at their happiness. She would furrow her eyebrows as she compared them to her parents. She had to admit to herself that Bob and Miriam weren't as bad as they used to be.

Once Miriam cleaned up her act, things were going pretty well. They paid more attention to Helga, though it wasn't very much. But they tried, and Helga was content with that.

Helga was very happy for a few years until Miriam started to get back into old habits. The past year had been a rough one. Miriam had been sneaking bottles of alcohol into her purse and would drink when she was running errands. Bob started to grow agitated as beepers were slowly being replaced by new tech gadgets. He did his best to keep up with declining sales, but he would end up taking the stress of his work out on Miriam and Helga. Bob and Miriam started fighting again when he found out about her drinking, and things haven't gotten better.

_"Well, if you paid more attention to me, I wouldn't be drinking!" Miriam shouted._

"Oh, don't pull that crap on me, Miriam. You've always been this way and you're never going to change," he answered gruffly and walked away disgusted. She walked after him and started yelling again.

"Want to go watch more TV?" Arnold asked when he was finished eating.

Helga, knocked out of her reverie, nodded. "Yeah, sure."

When they got to his room, Helga laid down on his bed. She watched him as he walked back and forth. "What's wrong with you, football-head?"

Arnold grimaced. "You know, I really don't like when you call me that," he said, annoyed.

Helga smirked and got up. She walked to him and put her arms around his shoulders. She kissed him with force. Arnold rarely took the lead in these situations anymore. It bothered him at first as he was shy about having any kind physical relationship so young. Since they started dating, Helga would kiss him randomly, quite strongly, and catch him off guard. As they got older, he would often find himself wishing she would wait for him to make the move. They had talked about it, but it was obvious it was uncomfortable for either of them to do so. Arnold put his hands on her shoulders and focused on the matter at hand.

"Helga?" he said and lightly pushed her back.

She sighed, annoyed. "What?" she snapped.

"Can't we just talk?" he looked away as he spoke.

"I don't want to talk," she muttered as she leaned forward to kiss him again.

"Helga," he said as he turned away from her, "let's just talk."

She threw her arms into the air in frustration. "Okay, football-face. What do you want to talk about?"

Arnold rolled his eyes and didn't turn to face her. "Us."

"What about us?" she asked as she laid back down on his bed. She laid on her back.

Arnold looked back at her for a moment and gulped. _'I think we should take a break. I want to break up with you. I need some time on my own. SAY IT!'_ He bit his lip. "What do you want to do for our anniversary on Sunday?" He kicked himself internally for backing out.

"Is that what's bothering you?" Helga got up from Arnold's bed and walked over to him. "Well, I want to kiss you," she said sweetly and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Arnold unwrapped her arms. "I'm being serious," he asserted.

Helga furrowed her eyebrows. "So am I," she leaned in to kiss him.

"Helga..." he protested.

"Ugh, what's wrong with you today?!" she chided as she stepped back from him. She crossed her arms as she waited for his reply.

"Nothing. I just want to know what we're going to do ," he argued, failing to hide the annoyance in his tone.

Helga narrowed her eyes and her lips curled into her usual scowl. "No," she murmured, "there's something else. I can tell by the way you're not looking at me."

Arnold froze. He didn't meet her questioning glare. He should have known she would see right through him.

"Spit it out," she demanded.

Arnold stayed silent and looked down at the floor.

"Nothing. We're going to do nothing on Sunday," she spat and stormed out of Arnold's room.

After a moment, Arnold sighed and walked after her. "Helga," he called. He walked down the stairs and into the hallway.

"She's gone, Shortman," he heard behind him.

Arnold turned around and saw his grandfather scratching his bald head. Phil was walking out of the bathroom when Helga stormed passed him. He had seen it many times before and didn't greet her as she passed him. He would sometimes compare them to Suzie and Oskar.

"Are you two fighting again?" he asked.

Arnold hung his head and groaned.

"Now, Arnold," Phil started, "I've seen you two grow up into fine young people. But I don't think it would hurt to spend some time apart. Help clear your head a bit." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Sometimes I still wish I could take breaks from the old kook," he muttered, referring to Gertie, and shook his head.

Arnold sighed. "I guess," he agreed and walked grudgingly back to his bedroom, dreading his next conversation with Helga.


	3. Sleep Deprivation

**Chapter Three**

Sleep Deprivation

Arnold laid in his bed staring at the night sky. He was breathing in and out slowly, and trying not to look at the clock. After a few moments, his eyes betrayed him as they jumped to his potato-alarm clock and he groaned as his fear was confirmed. _'2 in the morning. Great,'_ he thought. He turned to his side, facing away from the wall, but more importantly, facing away from the clock.

He tried not to think about Helga, but that only made him more restless. _'Maybe I should tell Gerald,'_ he thought.

He was his best friend, after all. If he couldn't help him, who could? He tried to distract himself by thinking about his day. _'After school, I could walk around town alone, get something to eat, nap, play some games...'_ he thought. He smiled as he felt content with that plan. 'Maybe it won't be a bad Friday.' He continued to plan his day as he finally drifted off to sleep.

_Brrrrriiinggg! Brrriiingggg!_

Arnold's eyes shot open and he awoke with a jolt.. The sound of his phone ringing almost gave him a heart attack. He sat up and tried to calm down his racing heart. He looked at his clock and saw the dimly lit numbers; _4:45 am._ He hurriedly reached for his phone before it woke anyone else up.

"Hello?" he answered breathlessly.

"Hey," Helga said curtly. "I'm not going to be at school today," she informed him.

Arnold furrowed his eyebrows in a sleepy confusion. "What?"

"I'm not go-ing to schooool," Helga said slowly, implying Arnold was stupid.

"But you never miss school," he objected, ignoring her implications. He was annoyed that she would call so early to tell him something simple. _'Could've waited,'_ he thought angrily.

Helga sighed sharply, "Well I am today, football-head. I just wanted to let you know."

"Well," Arnold started, puzzled, "do you want me to come by after school?" He grimaced as he said it, remembering his plans for the day.

"Do what you want," she muttered before hanging up.

Arnold sighed and hung up his phone. He laid back down and stared at the sky through his window ceiling. _'Two hours of sleep. How am I supposed to be in a good mood now?'_ He closed his eyes and breathed in and out slowly. He started to count to himself. _'1, 2, 3...'_ He pictured sheep with numbers on their bodies jumping over a wooden fence.

After one-hundred and fifty sheep bounced away, he turned to his side, facing the wall. He looked at his shelf and saw a picture of himself and Helga laughing together. He narrowed his eyes, wishing times could still be like they were. He felt empty.

He breathed in and out slowly. He yawned and did his best to relax his mind. He felt his eyes drooping. _'Two freaking hours of sleep,'_ he thought bitterly. He yawned again and closed his eyes. _'Maybe I can skip school today too,'_ was his last thought as he drifted to sleep.

_-Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!-_

Arnold's eyes flew open. He instinctively reached and turned off his alarm clock. He felt like had slept for five minutes. He yawned and rubbed his eyes. They were fighting to stay open and he blinked several times to get them to cooperate. He turned to potato clock on his shelf and looked at the time. _'6:45.'_ He groaned and laid still for a few minutes. He scowled as the minutes passed. Finally, he let out a frustrated sigh and reluctantly got up. He slowly stood on his bed. He climbed the stairs that led to his roof. He opened the window and stuck his hand out, testing the air. _'Oh, look; it's freezing.'_

"Great," he muttered. He closed his window and climbed back down the steps. He yawned again and ruffled his hair. He walked to his closet and grabbed a clean long-sleeved red flannel shirt, another green long-sleeved t-shirt, and dark blue jeans.

He rubbed his eyes and debated on returning back to bed and just forgetting about school and the rest of the day. He slipped on his clean clothes lazily as he walked back to his bed. As he walked and dressed, he stumbled over his black sneakers. He fought the urge to kick them across the room. He picked them up fiercely and sat down on the bed. He put them on and tied the laces. After he was finished getting dressed, he sat on the edge of his bed and stared blankly across his room.

He laid back on his bed and closed his eyes. He was drifting off and debated on bothering to go to school. The next thing he knew, he was waking up. He suddenly sat up and looked at his clock. _'7:25.'_ He sighed and grudgingly got up.

He grabbed his green hoodie and a black jacket, made his way out of his room and down both flights of stairs to the kitchen. He put his hoodie and jacket on, grabbed a cereal bar, kissed his mother goodbye, and quickly made his way out of the boarding house.

He walked out of the boarding house, and almost immediately wanted to go back inside. The cold, harsh air bit his face as he walked. He pulled his hood up and crossed his arms. He walked hurriedly to the school, wanting to get warm as soon as possible. He opened the cereal bar and took a bite.

_'No sleep, no car, crappy breakfast. What else?'_ He shook his head and scowled. He took another bite from his cereal bar. _'Why me? What did I even do? Why do I keep putting up with this?'_ He stopped at a four-way intersection and looked to his right and left. He crossed the intersection and finished his cereal bar. He stuffed the wrapper in his jean pocket and put his hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

_'I'm not going to put up with this anymore. I've had it,'_ he thought. _'Some Friday.'_ He continued walking and cursing his bad day. After a few minutes, he made it to the school. He hurried up the steps and welcomed the warm embrace from inside the two-story building. He looked at a clock on the wall and was relieved to be on time. He walked to his homeroom class and quickly sat down. He laid his head down and tried to forget about the day before he had to go to his first class.

For the next ten minutes, he heard his fellow classmates walk into the classroom and tried to ignore their chatter. His desk was in the middle of the classroom, and he was glad he didn't have many friends in homeroom so he wouldn't be bothered. Over the last few years, Arnold and his classmates from elementary fell into their own clicks. When they all started middle school, students from two smaller elementary schools registered at the middle school. When everyone got to high school, even more students transferred from smaller middle schools to go to the high school that was big enough to accommodate them all.

Homerooms were organized by alphabetical order. The people Arnold knew since elementary that were in his homeroom were Helga, Stinky Petersen, Lila Sawyer, and Joey Stevenson. Arnold would mainly talk to Helga and Stinky, while Lila and Joey had their own friends. Occasionally, Arnold would smile and wave at Lila, as would Helga. Stinky would also wave at Lila only to be met with a soft smile and an air of indifference.

Arnold squeezed his eyes shut as he heard Stinky sit beside him.

"Howdy, Arnold," he greeted. "Where's Helga?"

Arnold mentally rolled his eyes, but raised his head to be polite. "She's sick today," he answered.

Stinky nodded. "Are you sick too? You're lookin' all sorts of awful, no offense."

"No, Stinky. I'm just tired," he replied. He laid his head back down, hoping to have ended the conversation.

"What are your plans for the weekend?" Stinky asked.

Arnold fought to sigh loudly and raised his head again. "I don't know," he said simply. "What are yours?"

"Oh, just the usual. Got some taxidermy projects to finish," he replied.

Arnold nodded. He tried to chitchat for the next few minutes, but found his patience wearing thin. He tried not to take it out on Stinky, but was glad to hear the first bell of the morning. "Well, see ya later," he said and walked out of the class.

He headed to his first class of the day, Pre-Calculus. He was relieved to have Gerald in that class and knew he wouldn't have to explain his behavior. As he walked down the hall, he debated if he should tell Gerald what he was thinking about Helga. _'I could just say we had a fight. That's nothing new.'_

Arnold walked into the classroom and sat down. He laid his head down again and ignored his classmates' chatter. He shook his leg nervously as he waited to hear Gerald greet him. He quickly decided against going into detail about Helga. He fought with himself as soon as he did. He went back and forth in his head, arguing which was the best way to go.

"Yo," Gerald greeted.

Arnold raised his head and sat back in his chair. "Hey," he said curtly.

Gerald raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he answered.

"What happened now?" Gerald asked as he rolled his eyes.

Arnold took a deep breath. "I want to break up with Helga," he confessed.

For a moment, Gerald didn't say anything. He simply stared at Arnold in confusion. "But why?" he asked finally.

"She's just...different. It's like she doesn't even want to be with me anymore. She's always mad about something and takes it out on me. And if she's actually being nice, she's being clingy. She's not herself," he said in a rush.

"I hate to tell you this, but she's always been mean," Gerald replied.

Arnold rolled his eyes. "Not like this, Gerald. She's being so hard to deal with. I've had enough. I'm not going to put up with it anymore."

Before Gerald could reply, their teacher walked in and started the class. Arnold took out his math book and notebook and tried to focus on his work. He did several of the math problems the teacher wrote on the board and listened to him drone on about rational functions. Arnold fought to stay awake. His head started to feel heavy and he put his elbow on his desk and rested his chin on his hand. He could feel his eyes close and every now and then Gerald had to shove his shoulder to wake him up. Arnold was glad when he heard the bell ring. He slowly grabbed his things and stood up.

"I'll see you in Psychology," he told Gerald and walked to his next class. He felt like his world was moving so slowly, but fast at the same time. He couldn't keep up with what his World History teacher said and didn't know how much longer he could last before passing out. He only thought of flopping down on his bed and sleeping until the next  
millennium.

Somehow, he made it past the next two classes, lunch, and was happy to be in his last class of the day. His last class was Psychology with Gerald and Phoebe. He knew he wouldn't be able to talk about his situation in front of her, but thought Gerald may have told her. He wasn't sure if he would mind that or not.

He sat in his desk and waited for them to come in. Phoebe walked in first and sat in the desk in front of Arnold. She smiled at him and took out her notebook. Gerald sat in the desk against the wall across from Phoebe.

"Feeling better?" Phoebe asked.

Arnold glared at Gerald.

"What? I tell her everything," Gerald shrugged.

"It's okay, Arnold," she assured. "I've also noticed Helga's been...well, a little antsy lately," she admitted.

Arnold sighed. "I just can't take it anymore. I feel like I'm going insane."

Phoebe nodded. "I don't blame you."

"Yeah, I'm surprised you lasted this long," he added and laughed at himself. Phoebe shot him a glare.

"Phoebe, what do you think?" Arnold asked. She was Helga's best friend, but also an honest, trustworthy person. She wouldn't be afraid to tell Arnold what was right.

She looked down and sighed. "I'm afraid I have to concur with Gerald. You two have grown up into completely different people. Maybe a short break would be good for the both of you," she frowned.

Arnold nodded, taking in her response. 'There's no denying it. We've run our course.' Arnold bit his lip. He turned forward in his desk and yawned loudly.

"Ugh, I don't know how much longer I can stay awake," he groaned. He crossed his arms on his desk and laid his head down.

He closed his eyes and waited to drift off. He heard the noises of his fellow classmates chatting before class started.

_'Good thing today's a movie day in here,'_ he thought. He yawned and for once that day, his mind was clear. He wasn't thinking of Helga. He wasn't thinking about school. He wasn't thinking about his stress of the day. The only thing he thought about was sleep.

The last thing he heard before drifting off was the sound of the classroom door opening.


	4. Matilda

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Matilda

"Okay, everyone, listen up. We have a new addition to our class," Mrs. Welding - a big, red-haired, nasally sounding teacher - announced. "You can introduce yourself," she murmured to the new student.

"Hi," the girl smiled shyly and waved her hand. "I'm Matilda."

Some of the students nodded at her, while others smiled back politely or looked on indifferent.

"You're in luck," Mrs. Welding continued, "you get the last available desk," she informed her and pointed to the empty desk against the wall in the back of the classroom.

Matilda nodded in response and made her way to the desk. She felt awkward as she walked down the row. She could feel all the eyes of her classmates in the silent classroom on her as she walked down the row to the empty desk. She sat down and got her notebook and pencil out of her bag. She quietly took a deep breath to calm her nerves. It had been only her second class of the day. She recalled her frantic morning. She had woken up late and rushed to school an hour later than she was supposed to. She had spent most of the day in the school's office filling out paperwork and talking with Principal Wartz. He had given her a tour of the school, and he had droned on and on about what a 'wonderful time you're going to have here'. Overall, she was happy her first day at Hillwood High-school went by quickly.

"We're going to finish our movie today," Mrs. Welding continued. "I want everyone to take notes because there will be a quiz on Monday," she spoke over the groans of the class. "It will be your responsibility to study over the weekend. If you fail on Monday, it will be no one's fault but _your own_," she emphasized.

As Mrs. Welding turned the lights off and started the film, Matilda sneaked a look around the room. She scrutinized her classmates and wondered who could be the most willing to have a conversation with her. She was eager to make a friend. She observed the student sitting across from her on her right and could tell he was asleep. _'Probably one of those lazy students.'_ She noted his long blonde, spiky hair, flannel shirt, jeans, and black sneakers. She also noted the green hoodie laying on the back of his chair. Sitting in front of him was a petite girl wearing a blue hoodie and jeans. She was already writing notes, which prompted Matilda to open her own notebook.

She looked up and couldn't help but observe the boy sitting in front of her. He was wearing a red jersey that emphasized his muscles, and had a white jacket hanging on the back of his seat. She pondered how he got his black hair to stand the way it did. _'Must be a lot of hairspray,'_ she thought.

Unexpectedly, the girl sitting diagonally from her turned around and reached out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Phoebe," she whispered, smiling sweetly.

Matilda was taken aback by the size of her glasses. She quickly took her hand and smiled back, relieved to have someone speak to her. "Hi, nice to meet you," she answered.

Phoebe took her hand back and poked the boy sitting across from her. He turned around and also reached out his hand.

"Oh, hey. I'm Gerald," he spoke in a deep voice.

Matilda shook his hand and nodded, "Nice to meet you." They both turned back to Phoebe.

"This," she pointed her thumb to the boy sitting behind her, "is Arnold. He doesn't usually sleep in class," she whispered, glancing at Gerald.

"Oh, well, I'm sure he's nice," Matilda whispered back, shrugging.

Phoebe nodded. "We better watch this movie," she suggested. "I'll talk to you after class," she added politely, ending the conversation. She smiled and turned around, turning her attention to the film and her notes. Gerald half-smiled at Matilda before turning around to watch the movie.

Matilda looked down at her notebook and smiled. She was happy to meet friendly people. She started to write notes, but was not completely sure of what to look for from the film. She wondered if she would still have to take the quiz.

She had been writing intently for quite a while when she suddenly heard a grunt coming from beside her. Puzzled, she looked to her right and saw the boy she now knew as Arnold waking up. Gerald looked at Arnold as well and, sneaking a glance at Mrs. Welding to see if she was looking, reached over and playfully bopped him on the head.

Matilda couldn't help but snicker at this. Before Arnold could look up, Matilda turned away to hide her laughter. She turned her attention to her notes, but couldn't help but feel Arnold's stare on her. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw Gerald nod in her direction and heard him whisper, "New girl."

She knew if Arnold wasn't already looking, he definitely was now and she slightly lowered her head instinctively. She waited for his response, but never heard anything. When Gerald turned back around, she fought the urge to look to see if Arnold went back to sleep. She decided to focus on her work.

She watched the film, confused of what the relation to the class was. It was an older film, and was hard to keep her attention. She couldn't decide if it was a comedy or drama film. _'I'll just put drama. This is Psychology after-all.'_

Regardless, she wrote five pages worth of notes to make sure she didn't miss a thing. Before the film was finished, the bell rang, ending the class. She heard the jumbled noise of students getting up, packing their bags, and rushing out. She heard Mrs. Welding speak over the noise, telling everyone to study for Monday's quiz.

Matilda decided to stay behind to avoid any awkwardness with another student. She finished a few more sentences on her notes and slowly packed her belongings, stalling as long as she could. When she felt that most of the class had cleared out she got up and looked to see Phoebe waiting for her by the door. She smiled brightly and hurried over to her.

"So what'd you think of your first day?" Phoebe asked as they walked into the loud, crowded hallway.

"It wasn't too bad," Matilda answered, speaking loudly. "I came in a little late, so I'm not sure how my first two classes will be," she admitted, concern coming across her features.

"Oh, well, maybe we'll have another class together," Phoebe comforted. "It's quite rare that we get a new student around here, you know," she added.

Matilda raised her eyebrows. "Really? This school is so big, I assumed it would be kind of a regular thing."

Phoebe shook her head. "Nah, not really. Maybe in the lower grades, like freshmen."

"Well, I hope I'm not a disappointment," she joked.

Phoebe giggled, "Of course not."

"Hey, Phoebe! Let's get going," they heard Gerald call.

Matilda looked up, and could just make out a tall head of hair standing out from the crowd.

"Well," Phoebe started, "I better get going. It was really nice meeting you, Matilda! I'll see you on Monday. Maybe we'll have lunch together," she said hopefully and waved goodbye.

Matilda waved back and smiled brightly. She made her way to her locker, feeling happy to have a made a friend. She fiddled with the lock for a few minutes before slamming her fist against it. She tried entering the combination again and it finally popped open. Once she opened her locker, she unzipped her bag and placed most of her books inside. She debated on taking one home to study, and decided it would be best to take it with her. Once she was done, she closed her locker and made her way down the hall. She was happy to see that most of the students had left for the day, not fearing getting bumped into in the hall. As she was walking, she noticed there were restrooms to her left and decided to take a look at herself.

She entered the bathroom and walked to the mirror. She scrutinized her appearance. She took out her hairbrush from her purse and brushed her long, russet brown hair. She had straightened it that morning, and was relieved to see it hadn't gone wavy throughout the day. She put her brush back in her purse and went on to look at her eyes. She had applied a light-brown eyeshadow that was a few shades darker than her skin tone to make it noticeable, but not enough to attract attention away from her light brown eyes, and had black liquid eyeliner to her top eyelid.

As she retouched her makeup, a girl came out of one of the stalls. She was a tall girl, looked to be about Matilda's age, and walked with confidence. She was wearing high fashioned clothes and looked as if she had just come back from a photo shoot. Matilda couldn't help but think this girl was beautiful and wondered if she could be rich. _'Why's she going to a public school?'_

The girl came to the sink beside Matilda and started to wash her hands. She caught Matilda's eye and looked at her curiously. Matilda smiled, but felt intimidated by the girl's stare.

"You're not from around here, are you?" the girl asked.

Matilda shook her head. "Today's my first day," she replied.

The girl nodded and shut off the sink. She wiped her hands dry with paper towels and turned to Matilda. She offered her hand and as Matilda took it, she introduced herself. "I'm Rhonda. Rhonda Wellington Lloyd," she said with an air of pride.

"I'm Matilda," she replied.

"Nice to meet you, Matilda," Rhonda smiled. "I like your outift," she commented.

Matilda looked down at her outfit and looked back at Rhonda. "Thanks, but it's nothing compared to yours."

Rhonda smiled and turned to the mirror. She fluffed the collar of her shirt. "Thank you, I do try," she winked. She sighed before turning to face Matilda. "What grade are you in?"

"Oh, I'm a junior," she stated.

"Me too. I didn't see you this morning. Were you late?" Rhonda asked.

Matilda shook her head. "I came in late and spent most of the day in the office. I only went to the last class of the day," she replied.

"Ah," Rhonda nodded. "Well, maybe I'll see you in one of my classes," she smiled. She then looked at the mirror and wrinkled her nose. "Don't you just hate public restrooms? So filthy," she said as she looked around the restroom with a disgusted look on her face.

Matilda looked around the restroom. _'Looks relatively clean to me.'_

"Well, I better be off. You know, if we have lunch together, you may join me and my group if you like," she offered.

"Oh, thanks," Matilda said happily. _'Two new friends! I think.'_

Rhonda nodded. "I'll see you around, Matilda," she said and walked to the door. Before she walked out, she hesitated and looked back. "By the way, that color eyeshadow doesn't really emphasize your eye color. You might want to go with a darker brown or a black," she suggested, smiled, and walked out the door.

Matilda stayed where she was, unsure if Rhonda meant to be helpful or critical. She turned back to the mirror and looked at her makeup again. She furrowed her eyebrows. _'Hmph, what does she know?'_

She was happy with her makeup and straightened out her ivory sweater and light blue jeans. She retied the laces on her sneakers and walked out of the bathroom. She walked out of the school, down the steps, and onto the sidewalk. She breathed in the fresh air, feeling content with her day. She shivered slightly in the cold, but didn't mind the weather. She heard students laughing behind her and looked back, curious to see what they were laughing at. She wasn't paying attention as she rounded the corner of the school. She suddenly bumped into another person hard and fell onto the ground.

"Ow!" she groaned. She gasped as she looked up to see a blond, spiky-haired boy sitting on the ground and rubbing his shoulder.


	5. Stalling

**Chapter Five**

Stalling

"Try not to over think about this. Just focus on how you feel when you're with her and what's making you resentful, and then talk about it," Phoebe suggested. She, Gerald, and Arnold were walking down the street to Phoebe's parked car.

Arnold fought to suppress an eye roll. "I'll try," he lied. He knew what was making him resentful and he knew talking about it would end in an argument.

"It'll be okay, man. You always figure out what to do. Remember, think of the bright side," Gerald assured. Arnold sighed and nodded.

"Are you sure you don't want us to take you home?" Phoebe asked.

Arnold nodded. "Yeah, I need to..not think," he tried to smile.

"Okay, we'll see you later, man." Gerald and Phoebe climbed into the car and waved goodbye to Arnold.

He watched them drive away and waved at them until they disappeared around the corner of the street. He stood on the sidewalk for a few moments and debated on what he should do next. Wondering if he had any homework, he opened his book bag. He noticed a book he forgot to put back into his locker and was relieved to buy a few more minutes before making a decision. He walked towards the school and resumed thinking.

He was debating if he should go to Helga's house or go to his own and sleep the day away. He outweighed the pros and cons of going to Helga's house versus going to sleep. _'It could make everything worse if I just don't go...but maybe I could call her.'_ He pursed his lips. _'But then she'd argue with me over the phone, and I probably still wouldn't get any sleep.'_ He stopped at an intersection and looked for oncoming traffic. When it was clear, he crossed the street and resumed his way to the school. He sighed as he realized the best choice. _'I guess I'll just sleep late into the afternoon tomorrow.'_ He grimaced as a cold breeze came by and shoved his hands in his jean pockets, annoyed and cold.

He wanted to stall as much as possible and debated on which route would take the longest. He was thinking of this as he walked around the corner when someone walked hurriedly into him, bumping hard into his arm. He fell to the ground and and grimaced as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry!" he heard. He looked to see a girl getting up and nervously gathering her things. He recognized her as the new girl in his class.

"Oh, don't worry about it. It was my fault," he grimaced. He stood up and brushed himself off. "Are you okay?" he asked and looked past her at a notebook on the ground.

"Yes," she mumbled and rushed past him to get out of his way, and apologized again.

"Hey, wait a sec!" he called to her. He knelt down to pick up her notebook.

"Hm? Oh, thanks, I would have died if I lost this," she laughed nervously and reached her hand out to take it.

Arnold handed it to her and half-smiled.

"I'm Matilda, by the way," she raised her hand in front of herself for Arnold to shake.

Arnold smiled and took her hand as he stood up. "Nice to meet you," he said simply.

She held onto Arnold's hand and leaned forward slightly, waiting.

Arnold blinked a few times before it hit him. "Oh! Arnold, my name's Arnold," he said quickly. "Sorry, I'm kind of out of it," he added.

She giggled and let go of Arnold's hand. "Well, thank you, Arnold."

She looked away, unsure if the conversation needed to be continued. Arnold looked down and shifted his weight before looking back at her. They both looked around awkwardly for a few more seconds.

She spoke abruptly, "Uh, well, I guess I should be heading home now. I'll see you on Monday, then," she smiled.

He noted the faint blush on her cheeks, and her light tanned skin tone. "Sure," he replied and watched her turn away.

He turned away from her and walked towards the school. As he walked up the steps, he turned to look back at the corner of the sidewalk and shook his head. He walked inside the school and walked down the hall to his locker. He slowly twisted the knob on the lock as he put in the combination numbers. He pulled the locker door open and stood silently for a moment, feeling very sleepy. He aimlessly grabbed for the book inside his bookbag as his eyes grew heavy. He suddenly knocked himself out of it and shook his head. _'Man, I need to sleep.'_

He stalled as long as he could, not wanting to hurry to his next destination; Helga's house. He started to debate with himself again. _'I can hardly walk, anyway. And I'm grumpy. I think I'll just call her when I get home.'_ As he closed his locker, he slowly made his way back out of the school.

He walked down the street and hugged himself to keep warm. He was glad for the weather because the coldness woke him up a little bit. He looked down at the ground thinking of an excuse to go home and sleep. _'Maybe I could say Grandpa needs me to help fix the car...'_ he thought. He stopped as he came to an intersection. He looked to his right and then to his left to make sure it was clear. _'Or maybe I can say I got hit by a car,'_ he thought grimly as he crossed the intersection. _'She can't say no to that, right?'_ he smiled to himself. _'Maybe she wants to be alone today anyway.'_

_"Ughhh!"_

Arnold looked up and saw Matilda look at a piece of paper and looking around the street frustratingly. He bit his lip as he debated on continuing his walk to Helga's house or waiting longer to go to sleep. _'I guess it'll just be a few minutes.'_

He quickly made his decision. He shook his head. "Hey, Matilda!" he started to walk after her.

"Hm?" she asked as if she was being pulled out of a daze. She turned to the sound of her name. She stopped walking and waited for Arnold to catch up.

"Are you okay?" Arnold asked as he reached her.

Matilda blushed and shook her head. "I think I'm lost," she confessed quietly, wrinkling her nose in embarrassment.

"Oh," he replied. "Can I help?"

She nodded and handed out the piece of paper she was holding. Scrawled onto it was an address Arnold knew wasn't too far. "I know where this is." He started to explain the directions, but stopped himself as he noticed Matilda's blank expression. "Do you want me to walk you?" he asked politely.

"Yes, please, if you don't mind," she replied, full of gratitude.

"Nah, it's no trouble," Arnold assured and smiled.

Matilda smiled back and Arnold led the way. He started to walk back the way they came, stopped at the four-way intersection, and then took a left turn.

"Oh, right," Matilda noted. She kicked herself internally. _'Of course this would happen...'_

After a few awkwardly silent moments, Arnold cleared his throat.

"So," he started, "what brings you to Hillwood?"

"Work," Matilda answered. She tucked a piece of her hair that was in her face behind her ear. "My parents, I mean. My dad works for some company and needed to move here to manage a new branch. My mom's his assistant, so I guess it all worked out."

"What does he do?" he asked.

"Insurance," Matilda said simply.

"Oh, well that's cool," he commented.

Matilda shrugged, "I guess."

"How do you like it here so far?" he asked, meeting her eyes. She looked away quickly, and Arnold looked away quickly as well. He wasn't sure why he did so and furrowed his brows in confusion.

"Um, it's okay. People have been pretty nice," Matilda replied. "But as you can probably tell, I haven't really had a chance to tour the city. It's only my second day here," she confessed. "I still have a lot of unpacking to do," she added.

Arnold raised his eyebrows. "And you started school today?" he asked. "If I were you, I probably would have waited until Monday," he smirked.

Matilda chuckled. "I guess it would have made more sense, huh?"

They both laughed for a moment before walking in silence again. Matilda looked around, thinking of a new topic. Arnold wondered how much longer he could stay awake. The bitter cold was keeping him awake, but his sleepiness was starting to reemerge with a vengeance. He and Matilda wondered how much further her home was. They both shivered as a cold breeze hit them.

"Do you miss your friends?" Arnold asked, trying to keep himself awake.

Matilda nodded. "Yeah, a lot. But we already have plans to hangout every other weekend, so it shouldn't be too bad."

Arnold nodded in response.

"Oh, I did meet Phoebe, though, in Psychology. She seems really sweet," Matilda smiled.

Arnold nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty cool."

"Have you known each other long?" she asked.

"Yeah, we've been going to school together for basically our entire school careers," he said.

Matilda raised her eyebrows. "Wow."

"Yep, we've been through a lot. She dates my best friend, Gerald. You may have met him too."

She nodded. "Yes, I did. They look really cute together," she commented.

"Yeah, they're really happy," he said.

"How long have they been dating?" she asked curiously.

"It's been over six years now, but they celebrate an anniversary every three months. It seems silly, if you ask me," Arnold said with a slightly bitter tone.

Matilda raised her eyebrows. "Wow, every three months? They must be really crazy about each other then," she chuckled.

"It's kind of sickening, actually," he joked.

"That isn't a nice thing to say," she said, suppressing another laugh.

"Yeah, I know. Gerald says she's perfect, and she says the same thing about him," he revealed.

"Is that strange?" she questioned, raising a brow.

"Well, come on, no one's perfect," Arnold affirmed.

Matilda rolled her eyes. "Not much of a romantic, are you?"

"What?" Arnold furrowed his brows.

""Arnold, no one's perfect until you fall in love with them," she stated as if he should already know.

He thought about this for a moment. "I don't think I understand."

"Well, I mean, you're right. No one is truly perfect. But haven't you ever felt that happiness with someone? It's usually only in the beginning of a relationship. It's all those fuzzy, warm feelings you get when you're around that person. It's like they could do no wrong, and you never imagine yourselves breaking up," she explained.

Arnold furrowed his brows again as he thought. He started to remember the same feelings he had when he started his relationship with Helga. "I guess you're right," he concluded.

Matilda giggled. "I suppose Gerald and Phoebe are stuck in that phase," she smiled.

Arnold smiled as well. "Yeah, I guess so." He scratched his neck uncomfortably and yawned. He looked at the address on the paper again and realized that it wasn't too far.

"I didn't realize that I live quite a walk away," Matilda said, guessing he was in a hurry. "I don't mean to make you suffer in this weather," she worried.

"Oh, no, it's okay. I think I'll manage," he grinned. He started to think about what she had said. _'No one's perfect until you fall in love with them. It makes sense, I guess.'_

They had fallen back into silence as they walked. Matilda looked at Arnold out of the corner of her eye. He was looking straight ahead and seemed to be deep in thought. _'He's pretty cute.'_ She looked straight and hoped she would have more classes with Arnold at school.

"Well," Arnold started, "here we are."

They had arrived at Matilda's wide, two-story home. It was a reddish-brown color and looked newly built. Unlike most of the other houses in the neighborhood, Matilda's home had a little more space around it.

"Thanks again, it was very kind of you. I really appreciate it," she replied with gratitude. "I probably would have wandered around for three hours," she laughed nervously.

Arnold shrugged. "It's not a problem. I'm glad I could help," he smiled.

"Okay, well, it was nice meeting you, Arnold. I guess I'll see you in Psychology on Monday, if you're not sleeping," she smiled as Arnold laughed. She held his eyes for a moment before turning away.

Arnold smiled at her joke and looked into her bright green eyes. "See ya," he waved back and watched her climb up her stoop.

He started to walk away and head towards the boarding house. He looked back at Matilda's house. He furrowed his eyebrows, unsure of what to think of himself. He forgot about deciding on what to tell Helga and focused instead on going to sleep. The calling for his bed overwhelmed him and drowned out every other thought. He walked a few more blocks before arriving at the Sunset Arms. He opened the door and waited for the usual animals to run past him. He walked up the stairs lazily and barely had enough strength to pull the string that dropped down the staircase that led to his room.

He climbed up the stairs and opened his door, relieved to have made it safely to his bedroom. He took off his jacket and hoodie, and slipped off his shoes. He started to unbutton his flannel shirt, but gave up and staggered to his bed before flopping down face first. He took a deep breath and settled into his bed before drifting off into sleep. _'Not such a bad Friday after all.'_


End file.
